Tech Noir and Cyberpunk intrigued me because I had never heard of those genres. While I’ve come across some content within the categories, I was unfamiliar with the terms themselves. On top of being unfamiliar with the names of the genre, I have seen very, very few Tech Noir/Cyberpunk shows, movies, video games, etc. That being said, from what I read, the content sounds interesting, and after watching an episode of Black Mirror, I am definitely open to learning more.
I enjoyed reading the Wikipedia article on Cyberpunk, which explained the mood and the setting of Cyberpunk. The way they talked about their location and wanting to emulate “Hong Kong on a bad day” was a great way to describe the setting and gave me a good visualization. Learning about how the term Cyberpunk was coined was also interesting. The name perfectly fits the vibe of the genre. When I first read about Cyberpunk, I thought movies like The Hunger Games or Divergent were also in this genre. I then learned that Tech Noir and Cyberpunk are different from Dystopia. Tech Noir/Cyberpunk may have a dystopian feel, but overall, Dystopia can refer to any society with great injustice, while Cyberpunk and Tech Noir must have themes of technology and corporate power tied in.
After the readings, I chose to watch Black Mirror from the list of Tech Noir/Cyberpunk Media. I’ve always wanted to check it out, and I chose the episode “Joan is Awful.” The episode follows a woman named Joan, and she discovers a TV show has been made about her, where Selma Hayek plays her, and they make her look identical to Joan. Joan has made some not-great choices, but the show takes creative liberties to make her look awful. The worst part is that everyone in her life can see the show, causing her to lose her job and her fiancée. I was immediately captivated by the epepisode’s concept and how the story played out. Eventually, we discover that Joan subscribes to the streaming service’s terms and agreements, stating that the service reserves the right to use her life as content. Now, Joan has to fight the service to stop them from making a show out of her and others’ lives. This episode fits into the Cyberpunk/Tech noir genre so well because it explores the darker side of technological advancements. While technology has become more advanced, corporations have become more greedy, leading to humanity’s downfall. Thankfully “Joan is Awful” concludes with a happy ending, allowing Joan to regain control over her story. Still, it’s a cautionary tale of what can happen if we become too obsessed with whatever the new shiny tech has to offer. When I finished the episode, I immediately recommended it to my friends. Now, I am immensely interested in the genre, and I plan on watching more content in the category!